Natural Cures For Insomnia

There are many causes of insomnia, sometimes there is more than one reason, it can be a combination of factors that put together lead to this condition. Some causes are:

Anxiety

Stress

Depression

Prescription drugs

Hormonal Changes in Women

Medical Conditions - high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease, allergies

Pain

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Genetics

Getting good sleep is crucial, and a lack of quality sleep can lead to health problems, some of them serious. Insomnia can cause the following problems:

Weakened immune system

Slurred speech

Weight Gain - sleep deprivation increases appetite due to hormonal changes.

Lethargy

Lower Self Esteem - studies prove that sleep deprived people feel worse about themselves.

Tremors

Impaired IQ - getting good sleep increases cognitive ability.

Clumsiness - your reaction times are slower and your co-ordination may be impaired.

Irritability

There are a number of different things that you can try to relieve your insomnia:

Reduce your caffeine intake - caffeine is a real stimulant so try not to eat or drink anything containing caffeine after about 4 o clock. Try swapping your evening coffee for camomile tea.

Make sure your bedroom is dark enough - black out blinds or an eye mask can be useful.

Try herbal remedies - valerian, hops and passiflora have proved to help.

Cut down on alcohol - having a few drinks can often make you sleepy, but it is more disruptive to your sleep pattern than caffeine. You don't have to give up completely but try not to have a drink near bedtime and make sure you have a few alcohol free days a week.

Give up smoking - nicotine in cigarettes is the drug responsible for insomnia in many smokers as it is a stimulant.

Take regular exercise - several studies indicate that regular exercise improves sleep in people with insomnia.

Establish a bedtime routine - try to go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Maybe have a warm bath and a hot drink before bedtime, but the important thing is to do the same thing each night, so that your body knows that it is time to rest.

Try not to nap - this confuses your bodys abilty to differentiate between day (wake time) and night (sleep time).

Listen to relaxing music at bedtime - try gentle music preferably with a beat of 60bpm as this is the optimum resting heart rate for your body.

Try meditation - this can encourage relaxation, and the more relaxed you are before you go to bed the better your chances of falling asleep. Playing meditation music quietly in the background can help.

Cognitive behavioural therapy - most types of insomnia benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy (or 'CBT'). CBT is concerned with training you how to sleep and teaching you to relax and can be really useful.

Don't eat a heavy meal before bedtime - this can make you uncomfortable and make it hard for your body to wind down.

Try the homeopathic remedy coffea cruda - great if your insomnia is due to a racing, overactive mind.

Progressive muscle relaxation can be useful to get you off to sleep, see below for details.

Try this technique when you are having difficulty getting to sleep, it's very easy to learn:

Make yourself comfortable

Begin by tensing all the muscles in your face. Screw up your face really tight as you inhale, then as you exhale completely relax all your facial muscles and let go of any stress and tension you are holding here.

Move onto your neck. Again tense all the muscles here as you inhale, and as you exhale relax them, letting your neck feel loose and free.

Next your shoulders. Inhale and tense your shoulder muscles, exhale and let them feel loose and relaxed.

Continue down your body, tensing and relaxing the following muscle groups:

your chest
your right arm
your right hand - make it into a fist and relax
your left arm
your left hand- again make it into a fist and relax
your stomach
your hips
your entire right leg
your right foot
your entire left leg
your left foot

Just enjoy the feeling of relaxation as it flows through your whole body.

Often you will find that you fall asleep before finishing.